We are saddened by this weekend's traumatic events that happened in our own hometown. Please practice safety and preparedness in everything you do.

We love the water but we are not naive to the dangers it brings. Do not be a victim and always be prepared. If you do not travel with the appropriate safety items then you are not ready. At a minimum have the basics to save your friends or families life as well protect them from danger. The STS Level 1 Med Kit is the barebones kit to save someone's life and get them to secondary treatment.

Two teenagers were mauled in separate shark attacks on the same stretch of North Carolina beach Sunday, both suffering life-threatening injuries, local officials said.

A 13-year-old girl lost a part of her arm when she was bitten by a shark in an attack that occurred around 4:40 p.m. in Oak Island, a town about 30 miles south of Wilmington, according to Brunswick County officials. The girl lost part of her left arm and may lose her left leg, Oak Island Mayor Betty Wallace said in a Facebook post.

Just over an hour later, EMS received a call that a 16-year-old boy was attacked on beach roughly two miles from where the girl was attacked, and Wallace said he may have lost his arm.Both of the teens were airlifted to New Hanover Regional Medical Center in Wilmington, and both were out of surgery in stable condition late this evening, officials said.

Teams were out looking for any sharks that might have been involved in the attacks, the mayor said. "They have a helicopter and they're flying the helicopter up along the beach to see if they spot anything," Wallace said Town manager Tim Holloman said that in 16 years he has never seen anything like what happened today.

Given that these bites have led to such serious injuries, experts say, it is highly likely that these are bigger sharks -- tiger or bull sharks -- whose teeth and bites are designed to rip and tear.

These incidents occurred just 30 miles up the coast from Ocean Isle Beach, where a 13-year-old girl was bitten by a shark on Thursday. The teen suffered lacerations on her foot, but was not severely injured.